Covid - coming out of Lockdown 3 - no politics, less opinion and more facts and information.

[Crisis Rail]

2 hours ago, Neil said:

 

Sorry but he's an idiot who brought pariah-hood on himself. Not worthy of any respect whatsoever.

 

......but quite good at Tennis.

[hayfield]

27 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Having thrown the pebble into the pond that started this slightly(!) OT strand of debate, I probably should be surprised that the ripples have gone on directions I didn’t intend.

 

The basic question in my mind remains: how is the country to fund the health and social care of old people, given that they (We? I hope I get to be ‘old’.) represent a growing portion of the population, and given that we appear not to be spending anything like enough yet?

 

Somehow releasing housing equity is just one possible answer, taxing working-age people another, what are the others? One million percent VAT on purchases of ‘The Oldie’ magazine and weekday purchases at National Trust tea rooms? 
 

It’s a question to take the mind off Covid.

 

 

 

My tuppence is that it is done as it always been done, spread equally on all ages (Including the elderly) according to their means, those with higher incomes and those disposing of assets should pay accordingly. I also believe dividend income should be looked at closer, many company directors pay themselves by reducing their salary and taking it in dividends, there are also other NI avoidance taking place

[APOLLO]

6 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

In the supermarket this morning, I noticed that almost everything I buy regularly had gone up by 5p or 10p since before Christmas, probably a couple of quid all told on my modest singleton's trolley, so the times they may be a-changing....

 

John

 

Yup, noticed that also. If I can do without it and it goes up too much my new years resolution is to not buy it, trains included. I no longer buy magazines, and as a member of Wigan library I can view many online for free - a surprisingly large list includes two American and one Australian model railway mags, amongst many others.

 

Last 2 years was Covid lockdown, this year it's wallet lockdown !!!!!!!!

 

Brit15

 

 

[APOLLO]

2 minutes ago, Crisis Rail said:

 

Brexit?

Tories?

Covid?

 

What a mess.

 

You should put at the top of the list Greed.

 

Brit15

[hayfield]

Just now, Crisis Rail said:

 

Brexit?

Tories?

Covid?

 

What a mess.

 

 

Not at all, having being in the food industry for quite some time we have had food deflation, food has been very cheap as the supermarkets have been at odds with each other. The supermarkets are just passing on price increases due to many factors ,most totally out of individual countries hands, for instance the price of energy has nothing to do with Brexit, Tories or covid. From what I understand the main source is a socialist country flexing its muscles and becoming very capitalist. More of a stance against NATO and the EU expanding into Eastern Europe

[Jonboy]

2 hours ago, Neil said:

 

Sorry but he's an idiot who brought pariah-hood on himself. Not worthy of any respect whatsoever.

I have just read Jenson Buttons book “How To Be An F1 Driver” and he does make a few comments throughout about how much was taken out of his hands in case of arrangements for travel etc. In particular he mentions about retiring from F1 and having to learn how to pay household bills himself as his management had always taken care of it.
 

I did vaguely wonder earlier today how much of his visa application Novax had actually seen…

[boxbrownie]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

Having thrown the pebble into the pond that started this slightly(!) OT strand of debate, I probably should be surprised that the ripples have gone on directions I didn’t intend.

 

 

Sorry, missed it……..throw a brick next time.

[boxbrownie]

42 minutes ago, APOLLO said:

 

You should put at the top of the list Greed.

 

Brit15

I cannot imagine why but he missed Corbyn on the list……that’s odd 

[Nearholmer]

1 hour ago, hayfield said:

My tuppence is that it is done as it always been done, spread equally on all ages (Including the elderly) according to their means, those with higher incomes and those disposing of assets should pay accordingly.

 

Which has sort of worked with the demographic profile up to now, although it has clearly begun to get very flaky in recent years. The trouble is that our demographic profile is changing, as the 1950-70 'birth bulge' moves towards the end of the conveyor belt.

 

The combination of extending life expectancy and the ageing of those born in the baby boom, just after the Second World War, means that the population aged over 65 is growing at a much faster rate than those under 65. Over the next 20 years the population aged 65-84 will rise by 39 per cent and those over 85 by 106 per cent. (Kings Fund)

 

By 2050, it is projected that one in four people in the UK will be aged 65 years and over -- an increase from approximately one in five in 2019. (ONS)

 

There's also the issue of the way in which the actions taken to prevent complete economic meltdown after 2008 pushed-up house prices, transferring fixed wealth to those who already owned property equity, magnifying and entrenching the division of wealth, very largely in favour of that very same 1950-70 birth-bulge group, at the expense of younger people.

 

51 minutes ago, hayfield said:

From what I understand the main source is a socialist country flexing its muscles and becoming very capitalist.

 

Given that the Soviet Union ceased to exist thirty years ago, and that what has emerged Russia since might be described as a thinly-veiled-plutocracy, I'd be interested to know which country you have in mind.

 

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by Nearholmer

[boxbrownie]

1 hour ago, Dunsignalling said:

In the supermarket this morning, I noticed that almost everything I buy regularly had gone up by 5p or 10p since before Christmas, probably a couple of quid all told on my modest singleton's trolley, so the times they may be a-changing....

 

John

As I said pages ago, we have been paying “under the odds” for decades really, and it’s about time we payed what is the true cost of items, be it food, drink or luxury items, although on the last item we might well have been paying over the odds for years ……and been perfectly happy doing so.

[chickensoup]

20 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

As I said pages ago, we have been paying “under the odds” for decades really, and it’s about time we payed what is the true cost of items, be it food, drink or luxury items, although on the last item we might well have been paying over the odds for years ……and been perfectly happy doing so.

But what if you can’t afford to? 

[Bernard Lamb]

3 hours ago, Neil said:

 

The other way of looking at is that having the security of your own home, which will have increased in value over the years makes you one of life's winners. Like me you had the good fortune to be born at a time when property prices allowed you to get on the housing ladder. Many people work hard but are still unable to afford a mortgage and are stuck with insecure renting or are still living with their parents. Home ownership does not mark one out as having worked harder and saved more diligently than the next man or woman, just that you were in the right place and the right time to bring property ownership within reach.

How do you come to that conclusion Neil?

Before I got married I had to think about taking life a bit more seriously than I had done before. I got a job with a fairly young company that was expanding. They offered good money but were clear that there was a risk of it all falling apart. I did my job and my work seemed to be appreciated and also took on various other jobs as overtime. Various political events were a big help as they often needed our products  and you could work 12 hours a day 7 days a week and more than double your earnings. A group of us did just that and were able to buy property that we could not have afforded with the earnings from conventional 9-5 job. 

 

Moving on a generation my daughter wanted to teach. She went to 3 different universities and eventually became a solicitor. She got a job with a top city law firm and started to earn silly money. After a few years she was able to purchase a flat in a good part of London, She then packed in law and got a teaching job.  She put down a large enough deposit to have a mortgage that was affordable on a teacher's salary.

I see no evidence of being in the right place at the right time, just hard work and discipline. I am sure we would both have sorted our lives whatever the  time and place.

Bernard

[Nearholmer]

2 minutes ago, chickensoup said:

But what if you can’t afford to? 

 

As things stand right now, and without change: you get increasingly hungry.

 

And, in answer to the similar question about energy prices: you get increasingly cold in the winter.

 

Both of which suggest that some things need to change.

[Nearholmer]

4 minutes ago, Bernard Lamb said:

just hard work and discipline

 

I'm afraid that I don't quite agree either you or Neil on this.

 

My personal take is that ending-up in reasonable comfort and security has always required a combination of hard work, discipline and good luck.

 

Most people seem to apply and get just enough of all three, but I know one or two indisciplined, lazy oafs who've "landed on their feet" by pure luck, and quite a few people who've had great personal discipline, and worked hard, then been dealt an evil hand by luck. My late father in law comes to mind. A more disciplined and hard working guy you couldn't meet, truly diligent and self-sacrificing for his employer, who then went bankrupt, having first bled the pension fund dry, when FiL was about five years out from retirement. He found another job, and worked-on past retirement date, but his retirement was a great deal leaner than he had saved for.

[Not Jeremy]

30 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

 

As things stand right now, and without change: you get increasingly hungry.

 

And, in answer to the similar question about energy prices: you get increasingly cold in the winter.

 

Both of which suggest that some things need to change.

 

Or you go without and put a jumper on?

 

As regards prices and the true costs etc, fair dinkum Boxsportsman, but in Blighty as it is currently arraigned you just know that Johnny supermarket and Ms middle person (let's not be sexist)  will be financially ripping the piss for all that they are worth and to Hell with the real value of anything.

 

And then there was Covid!

 

Sic transit gloria Brittaniae

 

I may not have declined that correctly....

[Nearholmer]

3 minutes ago, Not Jeremy said:

Or you go without and put a jumper on?

 

I'm really surprised that you forgot to mention eating cake when bread gets pricey.

[DIW]

5 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

And his dad sounds like he's got some 'roos loose in the top paddock too..

 

 

Thank you for that turn of phrase. It amused me on several levels!